BEYOND THE BLACK - "LOST IN FOREVER" (2016)

BEYOND THE BLACK - "LOST IN FOREVER"
(Running time: 59:06 minutes; 13 songs)
("Universal"; CD; 2016):

Okay, next one, yes, and we've already reached 2016, so next up then will be a record-review on a 2017 release. (But don't be surprised and instead of this better be prepared when it will come up later some day the following week and not already today... feels like three record-reviews in a row could be enough for the Moment, at least for me, myself, and I ;-) ...) And this time, yes, this time it is my record-review on BEYOND THE BLACK's 2016 album "LOST IN FOREVER"; an album by a german band that was pretty much hyped even with television-commercials on regular mainstream television-channels and that saw already one or two re-releases since last year in several versions... and I don't really know why... anyway... I somehow sort of loved and love the title track "LOST IN FOREVER" and so last year when my girfriend and I were on a nice roadtrip and I saw it in a media-store for a very low price I took it with me, in parts because I thought I wanted to have that title track and 3,50 Euros were absolutely okay for this, and also in parts as sort of a "musical-souvenir"  of that mentioned roadtrip. But with saying that I was also curious about the Album anyhow. So, okay, how did it finally turned out? Well, we'll see... Okay, this is female fronted Symphonic Metal (it's definitely NOT Heavy Metal and I would also not call it Gothic Metal anyhow) in the tradition of a megaselling band like NIGHTWISH, so expect bombastic and pompous arrangements and corny melodies and symphonic lines, and sort of "cheesingly" overpacked and overloaded songs with the clear sung female lead vocals as the centre point; yes, it sounds pretty clichee, and yes, it is pretty clichee. And I am totally not in the target group of this band and album... but with that out of the way the title track "LOST IN FOREVER" convinces with much force and a full throttle rocking Heavy Metal approach to it all, "HALO IN THE DARK" really gives room for the lead vocals to shine bright and offers also a really strong done change in pace and tone, and "BEAUTIFUL LIES" shines with a pretty strong tension-build-up inbetween the shared female/male lead vocals (nothing new or overly exciting, sure, but it's done really good and that's what counts at the end), while "WRITTEN IN BLOOD" and "BEYOND THE MIRROR" as incredible cheesy as this tracks are also offer  true catchy-hymn-potential and great done solo parts; and so it goes on, not over the complete distance, hell no, but surely there are strong and surprising parts on this one and BEYOND THE BLACK are surely anyhow really skilled musicians that also know how to deliver decent written songs (even horrible songs like for example "AGAINST THE WORLD" really drown in their very own "cheesyness" and in their very own overload of pseudo-being-pregnant-with-meaning-way). And or but or what else ever, btw, "BURNING IN FLAMES" is a incredible strong heavy banger of a song, first class stuff. All in all expect surprisingly pretty heavy guitars (that deliver catchy rhythmic arrangements, surely overly cheesy melodies, and honestly a big bunch of nice and strong solos), really strong and powerful female lead vocals that are honestly top notch, a for me too big load of clichee keyboard paste, and a precise rhythm section. It's all done surely skilled and highly professional, but you still get sort of the passion the band puts in their music, so yes, I think at the end of the day it's all good and fine. This album did for me what I thought it would do, even more for a low price I got a handful of good songs that really please me and the rest is, as expected, simply not my cup of tea and so I've tried to be as objective as possible and yes, I think I've said all what I had to say. Last words, hm, okay, as much as I don't get all the sort of hype surrounding this band and album I really even more don't get all the hate that I often see being spitted on this band and album. I mean, if you don't like it, well, all okay with it, just don't listen to it or care about it or what ever, but why hate it, and at the end of the day with all respect towards the artists this is surely good done stuff, even it's just not "my stuff". Fans of Symphonic Metal will probably love it, other than that I don't know... but who cares, if you are interested in NIGHTWISH inspired female fronted Symphonic Metal (even maybe just as your secret guilty pleasure) give it a try (especially when you see it somewhere for a low price like I did), okay, my personal taste aside this is at least a solid one (to say more I am simply not familiar enough with Symphonic Metal), personal taste not aside it's often far too clichee and cheesy for me but somehow it anyhow remains a solid one, yes, and now I'm out. Ah, I'm mostly out, but before I forget just let me finish with saying that we also get a beautiful atmospheric artwork, nicely vayring lyrics, and a fat, widescreen production-sound on top of it all. Yes, and now I'm out.

(6 of 10 points)

http://beyondtheblack.de/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

BEYOND THE BLACK - "LOST IN FOREVER" (2016, "LOST IN FOREVER")